Mathewson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the “First Five” for the class of 1936. Mathewson's baseball career is worthy of Hall of Fame status, with a winning percentage of .665 and a career ERA of 2.13 over 17 years with a cup of coffee with the Cincinnati Reds and the rest with the New York Giants. Writer Damon Runyon stated “Mathewson pitched against Cincinnati yesterday. Another way of putting it is that Cincinnati lost a game of baseball. The first statement means the same as the second.”
At the age of 45, Mathewson died on October 7, 1925, opening day for the World Series. He died of tuberculosis which developed after Christy joined the Army in 1918 for World War I. He was a captain in the Chemical Service. While in France during a training exercise, he was exposed to mustard gas.
Mathewson was far more than just a ballplayer. He had literary aspirations with some success with a play called The Girl and The Pennant, based on Helene Britton, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals. He also wrote a children’s book. He played checkers among the best, once defeated a grandmaster. He consulted with Hugh Fullerton on baseball gambling and the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
Christy Mathewson as a pitcher had better control than most pitchers, placing the ball wherever he wanted. But pitching is a two-person gig with a catcher. When Roger Bresnahan began catching for Mathewson in 1905, Christy earned the Triple Crown for pitchers as he led the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. Bresnahan was key for he had a stellar memory of batter’s weakness.
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